Lost Reputation
by malic124
Summary: In the aftermath of the shooting mentioned in Setback, Mike and Stef are being questioned by Internal Affairs about Mike's actions during the incident. As it turns out, someone in the DA's Office has a vendetta against Mike, which could affect his reputation in law enforcement.
1. Reunion

Stef and Lena looked up in the waiting room. John and Jude had arrived at the station, where they were waiting for Stef to be interviewed about the robbery. They leapt out of the chairs and threw themselves on John, relieved that he was finally out of jail.

"How are you, Love?" Stef asked.

"I'm fine, are you all right?" asked John, looking at his Mom with concern in his eyes.

Stef nodded. "The robber wasn't able to do anything before Mike shot him. He flinched at us like he was going to shoot us, but Mike reacted faster. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't acted."

"Don't think about it, my love," said Lena, rubbing Stef on the back. "That's not something we should even consider." She turned to John. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm OK, Mama, I'm just glad to be out of there," said John. "How's everyone else?"

"They're all at home," Lena said. "We told them to wait there while Mom and Mike are questioned about the robbery."

"But you're still worried," John said with a knowing voice. Stef and Lena nodded. "I am, too. I've seen how these officer-involved shootings have gone lately. That's why I called Kelbert and told him to meet us here as soon as he could."

As if on cue, the entrance to the station opened, and Kelbert came walking in, dressed haphazardly. He rushed over to the family.

"What happened?" asked Kelbert.

"A robber tried to pull a fast one on Mike and I," said Stef. "Mike shot him before he could try anything."

"Anything about this shooting not as it should be?" Kelbert asked in a knowing tone.

"Not at all," said Stef. "We entered and told him to drop the gun. He looked like he was going to drop the gun before he turned it toward us and Mike shot him. He died instantly."

Kelbert nodded. "Then we should be OK," he said. "This should be pretty open and shut. Still, it can't hurt to have a lawyer in the room. Does Mike have a delegate?"

"Yeah, one is in there with him now," Stef said. "They said they will be in the room when internal affairs questions me."

"They won't be needed any more," Kelbert said. "I'll take you and Mike on as clients, in case this goes any further." He turned to John. "You were smart in calling me. I know Mike is a good cop, but with everything that's happened lately with officer-involved shootings, this could go any way."

John nodded at him. "Just take care of him for me," he said.

With that Kelbert turned and left the waiting room, heading toward an interrogation room to represent Mike. The rest of the family sat down together, waiting for Stef to be called in for questioning.

John turned to Jude once they were situated.

"How have you been?" John asked quietly.

"It's been tough without you, John," said Jude. "I've missed you. We all have."

John nodded. "I missed all of you, too. I can't wait to get back home and sleep in my home for a change. How's Connor?"

"He's good. He's out of town with his dad at the moment, but he texted me to tell you hello once you were out."

"I appreciate that," John said with a smile. He threw an arm around Jude. "Everything should be OK now," he added, though with Mike and Stef both being questioned, he knew they could be in for a fight.


	2. Similar Stories

"Oh no," Stef said, looking up toward a man who had entered the squad room where she, Lena, John and Jude were waiting.

"What is it?" asked Lena, standing up with Stef.

"The man who just walked in. That's Scott Bates. He's with the DA's office. He and Mike have history."

"What kind of history?" John asked.

"Not good. Mike found out Scott was cheating on the police academy exam and turned him in. Scott got thrown out."

"You don't think he's here to prosecute Mike, do you?" Lena asked.

"He had better not," said Stef as Scott Bates approached them.

"Stef," he said with a ridiculous looking smile. "It's been too long."

"What are you doing here, Scott?"

"Whenever there's an officer-involved shooting, I have to come in and make sure things were handled by the book."

"It doesn't have to be you," Stef said. "There are many DAs who are qualified to take up a case like this. Why the interest?"

"No particular reason," Bates said, smiling again. "Is Mike with his lawyer?"

"Yes," Stef said shortly.

"Excellent. I'll go in and speak with them," said Bates before walking past Stef and Lena and headed toward the interrogation rooms.

"This isn't going to end well," Stef said.

* * *

Mike and Kelbert looked up as Bates walked into the interrogation room. Instantly, Mike's facial expression changed to shock.

"Bates," he said in a tone that matched his face. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you, too, Mike," Bates said with a smile before sitting across the table from Mike and Kelbert. "And you got Alex Kelbert to represent you, too. Even better."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mike asked angrily.

Kelbert put a hand on Mike's arm to calm him down.

"Counselor, let's keep this as professional as possible," Kelbert said. "We all have a job to do here, so let's just do it and be on our way."

"Of course," said Bates, pulling out a legal pad and pen from his briefcase. "Let's start from the beginning then, Mike. Why were you at the gas station earlier this afternoon?"

Mike sighed before answering. "My partner and I were responding to a report of a robbery at that location," he said shortly.

"And your partner is Stef Adams Foster, your ex-wife, is that correct?"

"Yes," Mike said.

"Go on."

"We arrived at the gas station and made our way toward the entrance. We saw a man with a gun standing with the cash register and we entered the building to try and talk him down."

"What did he say?" asked Bates, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself as he questioned Mike.

"The perp said he was going to drop his gun. Stef and I kept our guns trained on him just in case.

"Just in case of what?"

"Let's not play games here, Counselor," Kelbert said. "I think you know why my clients kept their guns trained on an armed suspect."

"Very well," said Bates. "What happened next?"

"The perp then turned his gun in our direction. Before he could fire off a single shot, I shot him three times. He was killed instantly."

"Did you feel like your life was in danger, Officer Foster?"

"The guy had a gun trained on me," Mike said. "Of course I felt like I was in danger."

Bates made one last note on his legal pad before looking back up. "Thank you, gentlemen, that should be all I need from Mike. If you'll send in Stef, please."

* * *

Kelbert and Mike entered the squad room, where Stef and the others were waiting.

"Stef, it's time," Kelbert said.

Stef nodded and stood up. She and Lena kissed quickly before she followed Kelbert to the interrogation room. Mike sat down next to Lena and the boys.

"How'd it go in there?" Lena asked.

"Bates had some fun trying to stump me on the answers, but I kept my head. He doesn't have much of a case if he's trying to pursue police brutality charges."

* * *

Stef sat with Kelbert across the table from Bates. He turned to a new page in his notebook before he spoke.

"So, Stef Adams Foster," he said with a grin. "You're married again, I take it?"

"Yes, you saw me with my wife out there in the squad room," Stef said shortly.

"Your wife? Now, that's interesting."

"Counselor, I'm not going to ask you again to keep this meeting professional," Kelbert said in an annoyed tone. "Play around one more time and we're done cooperating with you. Got it?"

"No need to get so testy," Bates said with a sheepish grin. "I'm just trying to make friendly conversation with an old friend."

"We're not old friends, Bates," said Stef. "We were barely colleagues at the academy until you cheated your way out."

Bates sneered before he spoke again. "Officer Adams Foster, tell me about the gas station robbery. You and Officer Foster were dispatched there, is that correct?"

"We told dispatch we would go there," Stef said. "We were close to the gas station, so we decided to go. Dispatch told us they would send other officers there as backup."

"So, why not wait until backup had arrived when you saw the robber was armed?"

"Do you forget Police Work 101, Bates? We had to try and diffuse the situation before any civilians got hurt."

"So, what happened once you were inside the gas station?"

"The prep said he was going to drop his gun after Mike and I identified ourselves," Stef said. "He made like he was going to drop his gun before he turned it toward us and Mike shot him. The prep died instantly. In a clean officer-involved shooting, I might add."

Bates made one last note. "OK, your story matches Mike's. I'll present my notes from your interviews to the DA and we'll go from there."

Stef and Kelbert stood up quickly and left the room, leaving Bates alone. They returned to the squad room, and the others stood up.

"Good?" Mike asked.

"You know how Bates is," Stef said. "He tried to get fancy with is questioning, but he failed miserably. This should be the end of everything."

* * *

Lena unlocked the front door to the house and opened it for the others. The Adams Foster family looked up from the living room and let out sequels of excitement when they realized John was standing in their home again. They all ran forward, each of them wanting to hug John and welcome him home. Once the siblings were done hugging, Stef and Lena called for them to have a family meeting in the living room. Everyone gathered on the couch and, in Jesus' case, on the floor. Stef and Lena sat in front of them.

"OK, my loves," said Stef. "I want you all to know that Mike and I were involved in a shooting this afternoon. But you don't have to worry," she said quickly as everyone but Jude and John started to ask questions. "We weren't hurt. But we have been questioned by Internal Affairs and by the DA's office. Everything should be OK, but if you hear or see anything from a man named Scott Bates, you let Mama or I know, OK?"

"Who's Scott Bates?" Mariana asked.

"He's a man with an agenda," Stef said. "He'll try and do everything in his power to see that Mike or I are embarrassed or humiliated or something by this shooting."

"But you didn't do anything wrong," Brandon said.

"I know, Love, and you all know that. But this man has it in for Mike. He will do whatever it takes to get revenge on Mike for turning him in for cheating on the police academy exam."

"But everything should be OK," Lena added. "Your Mom and Mike both gave their statements and told the truth, so everything should be OK."

Stef nodded. "And now that we have John back in our house again, it's time for our first official family hug!" she exclaimed, standing up with Lena.

"No…" John said in a slightly complaining tone.

"Come on, John!" Jude said, standing up and pulling John up with him.

"Oh all right, just because I like you all," he said, smiling with everyone else. The family formed a circle, wrapping their arms around one another in a group hug.

"To family!" Lena toasted.

"Family!" everyone echoed, throwing their hands into the air and cheering.


	3. The Interview

Stef and Lena sat across the table from one another, each focusing on their own task. Lena was looking over some budget numbers for Anchor Beach, while Stef was double-checking their latest bill payment before sending it off the next morning. While they were working, John entered the kitchen.

"Oh, sorry…" he said. "I didn't realize you guys were busy."

"No, it's OK, Love, come on in," Stef said.

John nodded and sat down next to Lena.

"What's up, Love?"

"Well, I know that you two know that I had a meeting with a producer from ACN right before I was released from jail," said John.

Stef and Lena nodded.

"You haven't told us why they wanted to meet with you," said Lena.

"That's why I'm here," John said. "Maggie Jordan, she's a producer there, she asked if I could come to New York to do a live interview with Will McAvoy on _News Night_ about my experiences. She said we wouldn't have to worry about travel arrangements and that the network would cover them. I was wondering if you would mind if I went?"

Stef and Lena looked at each other, uncertain of their answer.

"If you don't want me to, it's OK, I just don't want them to have to wait for me for an answer, so I thought I'd ask."

"Well, if you feel up to it, I think you should do it," Lena said.

"It's up to you, Love," Stef added.

John grinned. "Thanks, Moms. I do want to do this. I want to tell my story, especially if it can help anyone else."

"Well, let us know when they want you to do it, and we'll help you out any way we can," Stef said.

John nodded, stood up and left the kitchen, pulling out his phone as he walked away. Stef and Lena turned to one another once he was out of earshot.

"Are we sure about this?" Stef asked.

"I don't know," Lena said. "He has told his story many times, including with the book and when he was on Ellen. One more time can't hurt, can it?"

"I just hope he knows that this time it will be a live interview rather than taped."

* * *

Jude walked into John's room, waiting for John to get off the phone. He stood in the doorway before John looked up and gestured for him to come in.

"Great, thank you, Maggie," John said. "I'll let my Moms know to check their email and we'll go from there. Thanks again."

John hung up his phone and looked up at Jude again.

"Hey, what's up?" he said.

"Nothing, just wanted to see who you were talking to," said Jude. "I could hear you from my room and it sounded kinda important."

"That was a producer for Atlantis Cable News."

"ACN? What did they want?"

"I'm going to head to New York late tomorrow morning to do an interview on _News Night_ about my story," John said.

"You're leaving again?" Jude asked, sounding worried.

John chuckled and motioned for Jude to sit down next to him. Jude sat on John's bed, clearly looking worried.

"I'm just gonna be gone for a few hours tomorrow," John said. "ACN is going to fly me out of here tomorrow morning, I'll do the interview during their show and I'll stay for the rest, and then they'll bring me back to the airport and I'll be back here late tomorrow night."

Jude sighed. "I don't like it when you leave," he said sadly.

John put an arm around Jude, attempting to comfort him. "It's only for a few hours, I promise," he said. "I'll be back before you know it, OK?" Jude nodded and smiled at him. "I don't like leaving either, but sometimes, I gotta do what I gotta do, you know?"

"Can I come with you tomorrow to the airport?" asked Jude.

John chuckled and gave Jude a one-armed hug. "Of course you can."

* * *

"OK, Mr. Adams Foster, your boarding passes for both your departing flight and your return flight tonight should be in there," said the woman working the ticket counter at the airport. "You'll have First Class seats, and any food you eat will be paid for by ACN. Can I get you anything else?" she added as she handed John his boarding passes.

"I should be good, thank you so much," John said. The clerk smiled and nodded at him before he turned and walked over to Stef, Lena and Jude.

"Everything good to go?" asked Lena.

"Yep, I even got First Class tickets for both flights!" said John.

"Ooooh, you're high class now, Love," Stef said. "Don't get used to it."

John laughed as he hugged Stef and Lena.

"What time are you back tonight?" asked Stef.

"Flight is supposed to get in at 11:30, so you'll be able to watch me on the show when it airs in the west coast," John said.

"We can't wait to see it!" said Lena.

John turned to Jude and pulled him into a hug.

"You gonna survive for a few hours without me?" John asked.

Jude laughed. "I think I'll manage," he said. "Besides, Connor and his dad come back from their trip today, so I'll go hang out with him."

John broke apart the hug. "I'll see you tonight," he said.

* * *

A woman with a bob-cut knocked on the door of the conference room where John had been waiting. She walked inside as John stood up.

"John, my name is Mackenzie McHale McAvoy," she said with a British accent as she shook John's hand.. "I'm the president of the news division here. How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you," John said. "I've heard a lot about you, Mrs. McAvoy."

"Oh please, call me Mac."

John grinned. "OK, Mac. So, am I good to go with the interview?"

"Yes," said Mac. "You'll be on in about 15 minutes or so. I can take you to the control room so you can watch some of the show before you go on." She paused at John's look of curiosity. "Maggie told me about your interest in working in news."

"I appreciate that," John said, chuckling. "I have always thought about it."

"It's not a glamorous job by any means, but you get to do a damn lot of good, if you know what you're doing," Mac said. "I'll take you to the control room now, John."

John followed her to the control room. He sat and watched as the producers, directors put together the show live. Once the show was in the break before John's hit, John was quickly mic'd up before Maggie led him into the studio.

"Thanks again for doing this, John," Maggie said before she opened the door to the studio.

"It's my pleasure," said John.

"Will, this is John Adams Foster," Maggie said to the man sitting at the desk. Will McAvoy turned and looked at John. He gave him a quick smile before returning to his queue card.

"Welcome to the show, John," he said. "Have a seat here," he said, gesturing to the seat on his right.

John sat down in the chair as Maggie left the studio to return to the control room. Once John was situated, Will turned to him.

"How are you?" Will asked.

"A little nervous," said John.

Will nodded. "Never done live TV before?" he asked. John nodded. "Just treat it like you did when you were on Ellen. I'll do an introduction to you when we get back, and then we'll talk. Just treat it like a normal conversation."

"I can do that."

"Good man," Will said before putting his finger up to his IFB. "We're 30 seconds out," he added to John.

John straightened up in his chair and pulled out his phone one last time to make sure that it was turned off. He put it back into his pocket and looked into the camera Will was staring into.

"Welcome back to _News Night,_ " Will said. "We're joined here now by John Adams Foster, a teenager from San Diego, California, who recently wrote and published a book called _Survivor_ about his experiences of surviving one of the worst crimes imaginable, sexual assault." Will turned in his chair to face John. "Welcome to the show, John."

"Thanks for having me."

"So, let's get right into it," Will said. "You wrote the book how long ago?"

"I started writing it about six months ago, after I attended a conference in Florida for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault."

"You were assaulted, is that right?"

"Yes," John said, seeming more at ease as he continued talking. "A man viciously attacked me nearly two years ago now and tried to sexually assault me. He eventually went on trial, but not before escaping and trying to get at me a few more times. Eventually, my mother, who is a police officer, shot and killed the man who tried to attack me."

"What made you decide to write the book, John?"

"Well, at the conference I mentioned, I found that writing down my thoughts before I talked about them were truly therapeutic. It was a way of jotting down all of my thoughts and making sense of them. After I gave the speech that night, I started writing the book."

"How long did it take to write?"

"About six weeks."

"That's incredible," Will said. "And you sent it off to HarperCollins shortly after you finished it?"

"That's right. They called me the next day and said they were ready to publish it."

"Good for you, John. Not many people your age have done as much as you. I think I speak for everyone when I say you should be proud of the work you've done. I just have one final question for you: why do you want to tell your story?"

"I tell my story in the hopes that it will help someone, anyone who is going through something similar to what I've lived through. It's not easy to go through the trauma of an assault, especially by yourself. I wrote the book to let others know that it's OK to talk to someone and that in the end, if you survive the trauma, you'll survive the recovery."

Will turned back toward the camera. "Author John Adams Foster, everyone. Thank you for joining us, John."

"Thank you for having me, Will."

"We'll be right back," he said. A few seconds later, he turned to John.

"We're clear, you can go back to the control room," he said. "Thank again for coming in and doing this interview."

"Thank you for making it so easy," John said as he stood up and walked toward the door he had entered.

* * *

John followed Maggie to the front entrance of the building, where a car would be waiting to take John back to the airport to fly home. Once they were outside, Maggie pointed out the car to John and walked with him toward it.

"Thanks again for coming tonight, John, I really appreciate it," she said as she opened the door to the car for him.

"Thank you for inviting me," John said. "And thanks for the internship application for your LA bureau. I'll definitely look into it."

"Have a safe flight," Maggie said as John entered the car. She shut the door once he was situated and the driver started up the engine to head to the airport.

John pulled out his phone and turned it back on. He wanted to text Stef and Lena to let them know he was on his way to the airport. Once his phone was loaded, he noticed an unread message from Stef that had been sent when he was on air. He opened the message and read it.

 _Bates is convening a grand jury against Mike. I'll explain when you get home. See you in a few hours, Love._


	4. Revelations

John ran up to Stef as soon as he saw her in the terminal. She held out her arms when he got close and pulled him into a hug.

"A grand jury?" John asked, sounding shocked. The three-and-a-half hour plane ride had seemed interminable to him after he saw Stef's text.

"I know," Stef replied as they broke apart. "It's horrible. I don't know how he can call a grand jury like this. Mike didn't do anything wrong."

"Kelbert will do whatever he can to make sure that it can't get much further, I know it."

Stef nodded, but she didn't feel reassured.

* * *

John lightly knocked on John and Jesus' bedroom door, doing his best to avoid waking his brothers.

"Come in, John," Jude said quietly.

John opened the door and walked into the bedroom. Jesus was fast asleep on his bed, while Jude and Connor were lying next to each other on Jude's bed, staying as quiet as they could. John walked over to Jude's bed and hugged both of them before he sat down next to them.

"It's good to see you, Connor," he said, smiling.

"I missed you when you were in jail," said Connor. "Was it bad in there?"

"Not so bad. I had a good guard with me. Plus, I had the cell all to myself when I was there, so it wasn't too bad at all. Did you guys get to see _News Night_ earlier?"

"You were great," said Jude. "Was it scary, being on live TV when you were on?"

John shook his head. "It was just like Will and I were having a conversation. I expected to be way more scared than I was, but once I started talking, I felt totally fine." He hesitated before he continued. "Did Moms tell you about the grand jury Bates is convening against Mike?"

"Yeah, she told us," Jude said quietly. "Do you think Mike will go to court?"

"I hope not," John said, sighing. "I know Kelbert will do everything in his power to make sure it doesn't happen, but I don't know if that will be enough. I mean, I still got carted off to jail, even with Kelbert defending me."

"Maybe this time will be different," said Connor.

John nodded. "I sure hope so."

* * *

As he got into bed, John heard his phone ding with a notification of a new email. He turned off his bedroom light, crawled into his bed and unlocked his phone. He saw a new email from Maggie Jordan with ACN.

 _John,_

 _I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I got busy with the show and didn't look at my phone until just now._

 _I'm really sorry to hear about Mike. I definitely can help you investigate this Scott Bates person, but I can't promise anything. I'll let you know if I find anything._

 _Thanks again for coming tonight. I really appreciate it._

 _Best,_

 _Maggie_

After reading the email, John hit the reply button and thanked her for looking into Scott Bates for him. Once the email was sent, John put his phone down and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

"Yes, I can confirm that Bates went before the grand jury today to present his case," Kelbert said, sitting at the dining table with Stef, Lena, Mike and John. "No, I can't tell you what happened during it because I honestly have no idea. Even had I been there, I would not have been able to tell you what happened, since those proceedings are closed, and me being there would have been borderline illegal anyway."

"OK, so what can we do to make sure this ends quickly?" Stef asked.

"Bates called me after he left the grand jury hearing," Kelbert said. "He offered a deal."

"Oh, that's just great," Mike said. "What does he want me to plead guilty to?"

"He says if you plead guilty to third degree assault, all of this goes away. No police brutality charges, no jail time. And he says he can guarantee Mike can retire now with full benefits."

"And a destroyed reputation," interrupted John. "Please tell me you didn't decide to take this deal."

"I can't do that unless Mike says I can," Kelbert said.

A knock came from the front door. John stood up to go and answer it while the others kept talking.

"Mike?" asked Lena. "What do you think?"

"I don't want to lose my job, Lena," he said. "But if I can avoid jail time by pleading guilty, maybe it's for the best."

"Don think like that, Mike," said Stef. "There is no way a grand jury can indict you based on the facts of the case."

At that, John reentered the kitchen, followed by a blonde woman.

"Uh, Moms, Mike, Alex," John said as he led Maggie into the kitchen. "This is Maggie Jordan from ACN. She's the one who invited me to the show."

"Hi everyone," Maggie said, taking a seat. "John emailed me last night to see if I could help you all with this case." Everyone looked at John in shock. Maggie noticed this. "Don't worry about it, I was happy to help in any way I could. I took a leave for a few days to come here and see if I could meet with Scott Bates to try and figure out a way to make sure this case gets thrown out. I just got out of a private meeting with him. I recorded our conversation." She pulled out a voice recorder and slid it across the table to Kelbert. "You'll want to hear this."

* * *

Mike, Kelbert and Bates all stood before Judge Henry Miller in his chambers.

"So, Mr. Kelbert," Miller. "I understand you have something you wish to tell me in front of Mr. Bates."

"That's correct, Your Honor," Kelbert said. "And I think you will find what I am about to reveal will cause you to throw out the case against my client without any prejudice."

"This should be good," Bates whispered, smiling to himself.

"Yesterday evening, Your Honor, Mr. Bates met with a producer for Atlantis Cable News named Maggie Jordan," said Kelbert. At that, Bates looked over at Kelbert in shock.

"How the hell could you know that!?" Bates demanded.

"Because Maggie Jordan came to the home of my client's ex-wife last night and she gave us a recording of the meeting she had with Mr. Bates," Kelbert said as he pulled out the voice recorder.

"Your Honor, you can't possibly admit this."

"Nothing to admit, Counselor. We're not in session right now. I'd like to hear what's on that voice recorder, Mr. Kelbert."

"I think this is all you need to hear, judge," Kelbert said, pressing a button.

" _Why are you pursuing a grand jury against Mike Foster?"_ Maggie asked.

" _Are we still off-the-record?"_ asked Bates.

" _Yes._ "

There was a pause before Bates answered on the recording. " _It's my way of exacting revenge against him. He got me kicked out of the police academy years ago. Now, I'm going to get him kicked out of the police force."_

" _And how do you intend to do that, legally?"_

" _I'm going to tell the grand jury that Mike committed the shooting without due cause. And then I'm going to watch as his career is taken away."_

Kelbert clicked a button on the recorder again and set it down on the judge's desk.

"Everything else is right there, Your Honor," Kelbert said.

"Your Honor, you can't possibly think that I knew this was being recorded," Bates said, starting to stumble over his words. "If I had, there's no way I would have said any of that."

"And yet you did, Mr. Bates," Miller said. "In 30 years on the bench, I've never seen such a case of gross prosecutorial misconduct. While I don't agree with this person recording this conversation, I cannot ignore what was said on it. Therefore, I am ordering the charges against Mr. Foster to be dropped immediately. The investigation is henceforth closed and ruled a justified shooting by law enforcement. As for you, Mr. Bates, I am reporting you to the disciplinary committee at once. Thank you for coming in, gentlemen. You're dismissed."

Mike and Kelbert shook hands while Bates stood in place, shocked. Mike turned to Bates.

"I guess some things never change," he said.

* * *

The Adams Foster family, joined by Mike and Connor, finished up dinner early and gathered in the living room to watch a movie together. Stef and Lena sat in their recliners, with wine in their hands. Brandon, Callie, Mike and Mariana crowded the couch, while Jesus took another recliner. Jude, Connor and John sat together on a blanket, closer to the TV than the rest.

"Hey, before we start," Mike said. "I just want to thank all of you for standing by me during all of this. I know it mustn't have been easy to stand by me."

"We're family, Mike," Stef said. "We stick by each other, no matter what."

Mike nodded while Lena turned on the TV and Blu Ray player to get the movie ready to watch. As she did, there was a knock on the door.

"Jude, honey, can you get that?" Lena asked.

Jude stood up and walked to the front door. When he opened it, he let out a small gasp. He thought he was staring at John in the doorway. Within a few seconds, he realized it couldn't possibly be John, but someone who looked remarkably like him.

"Hi," the boy said nervously. "Does John Adams Foster live here?"

"Who wants to know?" Jude asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"Can you get him for me, please?" the boy asked.

Jude nodded and returned to the living room. "Hey John," he said. John looked up at him. "There's someone here at the door you looks a lot like you. He said he wants to talk to you."

"Does he seem dangerous?" Stef asked, standing up at the same time as Mike.

"I don't think so," Jude said.

"I'll see what's up," John said, standing up. He and Stef followed Jude back to the front door.

John looked at the boy. He had the same hair and eye color as him, and he was wearing glasses like he did. He had to admit, this boy looked exactly like him.

"I'm John Adams Foster," John said. The boy's face seemed to light up. "What can I do for you?"

The boy hesitated before he answered. "My name is Jack Olson," he said. "But that's not my birth name. My birth name is Jack Foster. I'm your twin brother, John."


End file.
